400kms of absolute FUNtertainment on 2whEElz!

•May 8, 2010 • Leave a Comment

Yes, I have conquered the 400 km a day milestone. Happy to let you know that I have, with this, conquered the best ‘Bikers’ cornering heaven’ too, without a doubt.

Route: Mysore-Gundalpet-Bandipur-Mudumalai-Gudalur-Nilambur-Mysore
Kilometres in a day: 400km
Bike: My good old Unicorn

However, this trip happened on a sad note. My uncle passed away, so was visiting his place.

Even though, the trip just kept amazing me all along! Let me not waste an time.The ride starts off with straight stretches in Mysore ending in large, wide corners allowing me to sit in it for a longer period of time than usual. Sadly the main stand (that I broke) was getting in the way. So, what to do??? Took it off and I resumed to the nice and smooth corners. The bike, even though with the uncertainty of bad tuning, ran perfect. At all revs, it was fun uncapped.

Passing the town of Begur, bursting out with senseless people crossing the road without paying any heed to oncoming traffic, I was hoping for some more action. Sadly the same continued though the town of Gundalpet with even more crazy people. The speedometer however read 80/90 k mph as cruising speeds(not in the towns, don’t worry) which was a little more than expected in a 150cc (thinking about mileage and vibrations).

Suddenly there was a chill in the air. The climate starting to change. The wind was a little more cooler and you, readers, can consider that as a welcome sign. The milestones read 7,6,5,4,3,2 km to Bandipur aka Bandipura…Soon stood before me the board welcoming me into the Bandipur National Park.

The sides of the road started to fill up with denser forests and signboards saying “No Parking”,” No Feeding”, etc. Nothing more to say, I was riding though the National Park. The roads too didn’t fail to amaze me. To be frank, it was astounding to see the roads get better as I move into the forests. The curves were even more exciting and frequent than before. Like an upgrade I wished for, I was enjoying the ride and the sights too. There is always a killjoy to all of this fun. This came in the form of frequent speed breakers, unlike the ones that you can speed over in Mysore. These ones actually make you brake hard just because of the shear size. But the corners and the cool air kept me happy.
Expecting to see wild animals too was an agenda for this trip. But it did not happen that often. Except for a few deer and a lot of birds, there wasn’t anything exciting. The greenery however kept unveiling more and more and I was expecting something huge to happen. In bikers’ terms something that’s most exciting is a landmark. Any of its kind, but something very important gives us more kicks, right?? Yes, it was a landmark. Right in front of me stood the tall forts separating the border. The borders of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The forts simply merge into this great forest because of its size and looks. Well, read it as leaving Bandipur and ENTER the Mudumalai Tiger Reserves, Tamil Nadu’s version of what a real forest is. The Mudumalai Reserves is a little more denser than the Bandipur Forests,a little more darker as less sunlight comes in through the trees. The roads, still amazing, was wide enough for two lanes of traffic and for most of the distance I was the only user. Well, what else could be an apt reason to wring the throttle wide open for some exciting life and some fast corners. Saw more birds and a couple of deer and the clear visor was a good choice because it gave me a true view rather than a tinted one.

Up came Gudalur, where people to Ooty part ways with people to Kerala. The town was somewhat like in the centre of the great forests, however they catered good breakfast for all travellers at that time. Malayalam more popular than Tamil in this region, I felt happy getting really good dosas after a long time.

From Gudalur, completely mistaken, I thought that I ran out of good roads. But completely taken aback, I enter the Ghats linking Gudalur to Nilambur.Starting with a few gradual corners, I didn’t feel like I was going down a slope. But soon, I found myself facing some really fast corners with uphill and downhill gradients, which made my bike feel at home and a wicked smile grew inside my lid. I started to give in to the exciting quick corners, feeling the tires squirm under braking and rev up freely out of the corners. Never thought of sliding out of the seat for cornering, but I was forced too in most of them. But to be safe I had to keep my knees intact since I didn’t have any sliders on. Some of the corners were closely strung together, I had to fall into one and quickly into the opposite side just to keep myself in the same lane, else you know what will happen. Its either a quick way down or addition to the grill of an oncoming vehicle. But no close calls, and so was I enjoying the ride and even my bike. Can’t speak any more about the shear xcitement, but this was simply the best cornering heaven for us in the South. The climate too is good and there’s no question of do I have the right bike. I’d be certain about the Unicorn giving the most fun, but its your choice. The ride back was even more fun, since there was more climbing and precision power makes its more fun. On the roads to Mysore, I was thinking about writing this and letting you know about the fun I had. Well, what are you waiting for. Ride out and be safe, but don’t miss the opportunity to ride the straights, the forests and the ghats in just under 200kilometers. A deadly combination many say, but the best ever for me!
Ride Safe! ^-^

PS: I’ll post a few photos soon. Rode out the same route again last week, so got some photos to share with you all as well. :)

Be Mine ;)

•December 23, 2008 • Leave a Comment

A gift from LOVE, a gift for LOVE, and these are the words I stumbled upon when I enjoyed it with the blindness of LOVE..

I am yours, for you are mine!
I am yours, when you think you are mine!
I am yours, when you decide you are mine!
I am yours, when you are finally mine!
I am yours, when you are still mine!
I am always yours, just to tell you “BE MINE” !!!”

And, its 10 months now, and lives ahead with you! ;)

Adeiu to the warrior…v1.0

•August 14, 2008 • 2 Comments

Hi everyone,

The days have come when all of us have enthralled in the happiness of getting what we most want without even asking for it. Sometimes, this is usually more than what we expect. I was no exception three years back, when I got my laptop from my uncle in Singapore. A HP Pavillion dv8319tx, 17″ wide-screen laptop powered by an Intel Core duo processor and a mind blowing nVidia Geforce Go 7600 graphics card. It easily became the most powerful laptop then, and I enjoyed it! An up gradation from the old 133Mhz Pentium(R) Processor with 80MB RAM, it was one big step. No game became unplayable and space never was an issue. Sometimes mistaken for a ‘brick’, with weight of about 2kg, I never had a problem carrying it around. It became one of my great friends with whom I spend a lot of time gaming, working, watching movie, etc.

All great things must end, so did this great warrior friend of mine. In the early hours of August 12th, 2008, while tackling a canyon course in NFS CARBON, my laptop took its last breath after which it drifted into a coma with messed up graphics! With nothing much to do, I was forced to pull the cord, and soon it was over. The next day presented with complete errors with display to be precise, pink lines, broken lines, wrong alphabets, and filled with exclamation marks. Soon, I took it to Dr. Hari, who rendered the diagnosis as irreparable damage to the graphics card which is integrated to the motherboard. This meant, that if I had to bring it back to life, I will have to have miracles happen in my life, again to be precise, 1)Graphics Card getting fixed by itself or 2) Rs20,000 aka USD500 at my disposal. The three years of flawless service comes to an end. But still again, the laptop does not leave me. It decides to give one last try so that I do not give up hope on it. And here I am, using Ubuntu (linux) with restricted graphics. Still making me happy by allowing me to work, watch a movie, and most importantly gifted me with zero data loss from my previous OS. Even after all this I still address my laptop as it which I am rightfully stopping to admit that I ain’t giving up any hope on him, he is still the best!! ;)

The ‘b’ day shines…

•June 17, 2008 • Leave a Comment

Half past 7, and I’m already in my armchair! Happiness, joy and the very fact that today is my day. The day I get a lot warm wishes from my friends, parents, and even my brother who was fast asleep and was made to wish me just now. hehe! Did I suddenly grow up another year?

Listening to Hans ZImmer’s work for the movie ‘The Holiday’. Mindblowing! I love the movie so much! It has been in my drive for more than 4 months and it was recently that I decided to see it. And I’ve already decided to take up its score for my birthday theme.

Wishing I could see this great movie with my “you know who”( ^-^ ), I’d like to wish myself a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY. hehehe!

Rise and shine…

•April 23, 2008 • Leave a Comment

Rise and shine my little star,

Rise and shine to save my day,

Come to me for i shall give you,

Anythin u ask for,even my life!

Open thy eyes to lite my world,

Sing thy song 2 soothe my ears,

Let your lips do what they do best,

The smile that makes me go on and on..(c)petti.

Good mornin, sweetheart….. ;)

Mother Jane LIVE, DJ Gaurav rocking and Best Photograph Award. All at Nirvaan ’08

•March 3, 2008 • 1 Comment

Yet another mindblowing event at the Nishagandhi, Kanakakunnu. Hosted by the Department of Electronics and Communications Engineering, Sree Chitra Thirunal College of Engineering ( my college ), the technical and cultural festival Nirvaan 08 was yet another crowd puller. I am not sure about how the technical wing faired this time, however I won the second place in an event quiet close to it. Fifa 08 (Gaming) :)

The cultural sector, this time, gifted Trivandrum quiet more than what was expected. Day 1 ended setting all of us dance to the grooves by DJ Gaurav from New Delhi. At the end, it was hard to stand still… :) Day 2, however, saw the performance by Motherjane, a band hailing from Cochin with the spirit of rock flowing hard through their veins. Ganesh, my friend and I banged our heads to the beats and enjoyed every single bit. Not to forget that I was in my own world as they played Maya, one of my favourites. They sure have talent and I wish them ‘All the very Best’ as they play beside Megadeth soon this year. :)

Well, before I end this post, I’d like to mention that I did win the Best Photograph Award at Nirvaan 08.

http://picasaweb.google.com/iamarj/Nirvaan08AndAContestWon

Do visit the album and leave your valuable comments. Njoi. ;)

Swades

•November 28, 2007 • Leave a Comment

Manse Ravan jo Nikale, Ram uske manme hai.

To see Abhi….Trip to EKM!

•October 20, 2007 • Leave a Comment

Its still raining heavily. The downpour has been rattling on my window pane from yesterday night. It was 5:30 am when Mom waked me up so that I could catch the morning train ‘Jan Shatabdi’ to Cochin. Finishing my bath by 6, I had to rush to the railway station. But it was still raining heavily. Walking with an umbrella in my hand, I saw an auto and was happy to realize that I would reach in time. Well, as for my misfortune, the auto wouldn’t start. I walked briskly through the flooded road to the next junction. As I reached the main road, two uncles joined me. From the bags they carried I was quiet sure that they were to the railway station like me. It was 6:15 already and the thought that I will be missing the train started to poke me. Luckily, I spotted an auto and got in it. Suddenly, one among the two people that i had mentioned before called me and asked whether they could join for which i eagerly agreed. As we reached the station, the uncle asked me to rush for the train and that he’ll say for the auto. I tried to protest but he forced me to catch the train for which i was already late. Thanking him with all my heart, I ran up the stairs of the overbridge towards the platform. I heard the horn of the train and soon saw it pull away from the platform. I climbed down the stairs to the platform and got into the running train through the closest door. :) Relived by the fact that I didn’t miss the train, I occupied the reserved seat in the last coach. Had to walk a long way. :) An hour went by, but it was still raining. At some point of time, I dozed off and then got up to realize that it was still raining. Isn’t there an end to this rain? Soon, my stomach started to give me signals that I needed fuel. Waiting for the waiters from the pantry car, I realized the painful truth that only Uppuma( which I hate to have the most) was available. In sheer helplessness and a burning stomach, I restlessly stood at the door of the coach. The rain had drenched a side of my shirt, when I stood there but I did not move. After three hours of travel, I reached Eranakulam south. Since, I was alone, I walked to my aunt’s house to see Abhijeet for the first time. :)

Abhijeet is my cousin brother’s son. Playing with him was fun. He so sweet and chubby that he would so easily become the centre of attraction. This, in turn, was reflected on Ashok’s face as a sad smile. Ashok, by the way, is Abhijeet’s cousin brother. At around 12 noon, I went to Kaloor searching for my helmet’s visor. The make being Index, its parts are rarely available in India. I did find the shop and they promised to ship the visor from Dubai in a week. Back home, I had lunch and then accompanied my cousin bro, to drop his parents at the bus stop. By 3:00, I took my second ride on the Activa, which belongs to my cousin sister, to the railway station. After getting the ticket, I headed back home and soon by 4:30, I took my third trip to Subway. Bought today’s special sandwich which was Chicken Tikka in a 6 inch wheat bread. It was a parcel that I decided to have when I was half way home travelling by train, but I couldn’t resist it. :D Had the sandwich as soon as I was on the train. I hope that Subway is coming to TVM soon. Well, right now I am sitting in the train, listening to music and typing all this into my mobile. Will reach home soon. Cya arnd ;)

A Crazy Ride…

•October 16, 2007 • Leave a Comment

Last Saturday, Hari, Vishnu, Govind, Anand and I were invited to Sabir’s place for Iftar, the feast at the end of the auspicious Ramzan month. The highlights, as usual, were eating a lot and riding all the way to Sabir’s place. Nearly 40 kilometers from Hari’s house, we started our ‘road trip’ to Kilimanoor on three Honda Unicorns( Hari, Govind and me), one Bajaj Pulsar 180( Vishnu) and a Hyundai Santro( Anand, he had to be happy with his car since his parents denied permission to take his new Unicorn). The ride was simply awesome. Revving off into the highways, we had to negotiate uphill and downhill curves for nearly ten minutes. It was fun hanging off the seat, pointing knees down to the earth and accelerating out of the curves like pro racers.  :) Soon, we were riding at top speeds through wide roads, some of them linking two major towns. Lucky for us, there weren’t any Traffic Police Speed Checking units. Govind and I got separated from the group since I lost track of where we were. Actually, we weren’t able to keep up with them. At one of the long straight roads, Govind and I clocked top speeds of 115kmph. It was fun to see that both our bikes, side by side, not overtaking each other by even a centimeter. At some section of the trip, I had to slow down and nearly stop behind a K.S.R.T.C bus since it was picking up people from a bus stop. I couldn’t overtake the bus, since there was a car in the opposite lane. I saw an ambulance coming at high speeds from the opposite lane, maybe because it was rushing to the hospital. I was standing in line with the right edge of the bus and so as soon as the ambulance cleared the bus, its back fender clipped the exhaust pipe of my bike. There was a sharp sound and I feared I had a bent exhaust pipe. But, checking it with my hand I found that it was a small bent on the heatshield and one another important lesson ( NEVER TOUCH THE EXHAUST PIPE OF A BIKE after running for more than half an hour). I had a small burn on my knuckle, but that didn’t stop me from continuing the trip. Soon, Govind and I reached Kilimanoor Junction where Hari, Anand and Vishnu were waiting. From there on, I drove Anand’s car and he rode my bike. It was a short distance of two kilometers.

At Sabir’s place, we had lunch at 1:00pm. It was hot and spicy Chicken Biriyani. With fully filled stomachs, we hopped into Anand’s car and drove to Varkala Beach, 15km from Sabir’s place. At the beach, we roamed around a bit and had ice-creams. After that, we came back to Sabir’s house and started our trip back to Trivandrum. The ride back was faster. Soon, I was back home, ready to sleep after the ‘long’ short trip! ;)

La Fest 07!

•July 24, 2007 • 1 Comment

“All the world’s a stage… …Here’s the spotlight”

Three Cheers to my Juniors’!

Cya arnd ;)

 
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